New York City Terror Attack Kills 8 People

The driver of a truck careening down a bike path in lower Manhattan killed at least eight people and injured 11 in what New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio described as an "act of terror" on Tuesday, October 31.

According to the New York Times, police say 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov drove a truck onto a bike and pedestrian path on New York City's West Side Highway, which runs along the Hudson River. The driver allegedly plowed down those in his path, stopping after he crashed into a school bus. After the crash, the Times reports the driver jumped out of his truck holding a pellet gun and paintball gun. Investigators reportedly found a handwritten note near the truck pledging allegiance to the Islamic State. A police officer reportedly shot the suspect in the abdomen after he jumped out of the rented vehicle. The suspect survived the shooting, but was in critical condition as of November 1.

“Based on information we have at this moment, this was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians," DeBlasio said in a press conference on Tuesday.

The attack is being called the deadliest in New York City since September 11, 2001. Similar attacks have occurred in Europe, including a recent one in Barcelona, and multiple in London. According to the Times, ISIS has used its organizations media outlets to call on sympathizers to carry out such attacks.

The suspect came to the United States from Uzbekistan in 2010, the Times reported, and had a green card that made him a permanent, legal resident. After the attack, President Donald Trump tweeted that he "ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program" for immigrants. On Wednesday, Trump tweeted that the suspect "came into our country through what is called the 'Diversity Visa Lottery Program,'" attributing the program to Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and advocating instead for a merit-based system. Others, however, pointed out that the lottery program was in fact part of the Immigration Act of 1990, which passed overwhelmingly in a bipartisan vote. According to the Washington Post, Schumer was in fact part of a group of legislators who attempted to do away with the lottery program in 2013, but their efforts died in the House. The Post reported that it's unclear whether or not the suspect in Tuesday's attack actually entered the country through the lottery program.